France's NanoXplore buys chipmaker Scalinx to build European microelectronics champion
What's the deal? NanoXplore, a French designer of radiation-hardened FPGAs and SoCs for space and defence, has acquired fellow French chip firm Scalinx for an undisclosed sum. Scalinx designs analogue-to-digital and digital-to-analogue signal-conversion chips. NanoXplore plans to integrate nearly all of Scalinx's teams.
What's the endgame? Combining NanoXplore's digital components — FPGAs, SoCs, and ASICs — with Scalinx's signal-conversion technology lets the merged firm offer integrated solutions in Europe. A key target is RFSoC architectures, which capture, convert, and process radio signals in a single chip for more compact, faster, and energy-efficient equipment.
Who's who? Founded in 2013 and based in Sèvres, NanoXplore supplies radiation-hardened components to major space programmes including Galileo and Copernicus. Scalinx, created in 2015 in Paris with design centres in Caen and Grenoble, has raised €44.5 million since its founding.
Why now? NanoXplore runs an entirely European supply chain across Sèvres and Montpellier, positioning it as an "ITAR-free" alternative outside US defence-export rules. In June, the European Space AgencyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → picked it to lead Europe's future 7nm space FPGA capabilities under the ULISSE programme, one of the agency's largest-ever electronic-component contracts.
What they said: "The acquisition of Scalinx marks a major step in building a European champion in critical microelectronics," said Édouard Lepape, chief executive officer of NanoXplore. He added the deal will let the company "offer a unique integrated solution in Europe" (translated from French).
The signal: The tie-up reflects Europe's push for technological sovereignty in strategic chips, pooling scarce know-how to reduce reliance on non-European components. Scalinx recently joined GlobalFoundries'Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → GlobalSolutions ecosystem, signalling how smaller European designers are stitching together partnerships to scale in defence and aerospace markets.
Read more: vipress.net
Image credit: fox-orian
